Netflix's maximum resolutions depedant on browser?

[PerfectTemplar]

This has been the case since netflix came out. It was originally IE that did this exclusively.

[Sors]

Doesn't Netflix use Silverlight to work in browsers?  

 

If I was a tinfoil hat kind of person, I would think MS is screwing with silverlight in other browsers. 

[nims0c]

Wtf, I've been watching in 720p this whole time? I thought it was just the upscaling to 1440p that makes it look like dogshit on my monitor.

[bcredeur97]

Does a User-agent changer fix this? 

[Repost]

58 minutes ago, bcredeur97 said:

Does a User-agent changer fix this? 

It's not really a user-agent thing, but more of a browser capability thing. Chrome and Firefox not being able to leverage the system DRM causes it to only stream at up to 720p or 1750kbps. IE, Edge, Safari, Netflix apps on iOS, Windows, and certain Android devices are able to stream at up to 5800kbps. Yes, to add insult to injury, most Android devices are not capable of streaming Netflix in full HD. 

[Celmor]

13 hours ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

Last I knew it was using Silverlight because I couldn't get Netflix to work on my linux laptop and I remember it saying it needed SIlverlight.

I could stream Netflix to Linux if using Google Chrome (installed from AUR), essentialy you need some proprietary part / 'DRM processor' for DRM to work.

To make Amazon Instant video work on Linux you were able to install Silverlight through Pipelight and then use Firefox after changing the User Agent (e.g. through Add-on) to hide from Amazon that you're using Firefox.

12 hours ago, LAwLz said:

... The most logical reason I found was that it had to do with DRM and "OS integration" of the DRM. That would explain why Chrome when running ChromeOS supports 1080p streaming, but Chrome in Windows does not.

If that's true (which it seems to be) then there is no technical reason for IE/Edge supporting it but Chrome/Firefox not to. It's just Netflix being stupid and worried about piracy.

IE/Edge are still more integrated into the OS and therefore are able to receive more support / be able to use DRM modules that support more codecs / the setting that allows for 1080p.

Seems to me like wherever I tried streaming Netflix to I was able to receive 720p at max, if on Android, Windows or Linux although I had the subscription for "up to" 4K (although I didn't pay because I only used free trial periods) although I can't be sure because I didn't know how to find out at what resolution it streams at.

At the end your last point holds true. I wouldn't be worried about people copying the stream on their end, they can record it through screen-capture anyway, if they're going through the trouble of breaking the encrypted rtmp stream (or whatever standard they're using) they are able to pirate the movie in higher quality from somewhere else anyway. Probably it's the rights-holder companies that are laying all these restrictions on them anyway, using any other also secure/DRM-friendly just doesn't get accepted by the rights holder, because they want their content to only be distributed the way they want or cancel the license. Probably the reason Netflix focuses more on more original shows.

[Trik'Stari]

This is kinda screwed up, but then again it doesn't really matter for me since my ISP is Potato Link. And they really don't like 1080p streaming on anything.